Drunk on All Your Strange New Words

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson, 277 pages

I first read and reviewed this science fiction mystery back in 2023, and that review still rings true — it's inventive, well-conceived, engaging, and amazing. It was a hit with the Orcs & Aliens too, which is always nice.

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson, 275 pages

Lydia is the translator for the Logian cultural attaché, an alien she refers to as Fitz. Logi do not speak the same way humans do; instead, they speak telepathically, and the humans that are able to understand them experience a sensation similar to drunkenness while communicating with the Logi. This makes Lydia's job of translating Fitz's words during his packed schedule of conferences, cultural events, meetings, and summits particularly difficult. But when Fitz turns up dead in his study, Lydia is suddenly trying to clear her own name, find out who killed him, and deal with some Logian communications that she doesn't quite understand.

Robson creates a world that is so well mapped-out and functional that it's absolutely believable, despite the presence of extraterrestrial intelligent beings. I was completely hooked by the Orwellian surveillance, the ubiquitous social media (LOVE the idea of a truthiness rating), and the complex conspiracies swirling around Lydia. I'd read Robson's previous novel Hearts of Oak, so I knew he could be creative, but the mix of political intrigue, science fiction, and murder mystery here is so well balanced. Highly recommended.